Number of electively home schooled children rises 38%

According to a survey by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), on school census day, 1 October 2020, 75,668 children and young people were known to be electively home educated. This marks a 38% increase from the same school census day in 2019. Further analysis suggests that 25% of those children and young people have become EHE since 1 September 2020.

The survey is the fifth consecutive year where ADCS surveyed local authorities in England for to gather a snapshot of the cohort of children and young people that is being electively home educated (EHE). 88% of local authorities (133 LAs) responded to the survey, the highest ever response rate, using data from the first school census day of the current academic year, Thursday 1 October 2020.

The survey also gathered data on the cumulative total number of EHE children and young people across the 2019/20 academic year. This showed that an estimated 86,335 children and young people were known to be electively home educated at any point during the previous academic year, a 10% increase from the 2018/19 academic year.

The most common reason cited by parents or carers for electing to home educate their child was due to health concerns related directly to Covid-19.

Commenting on the findings, Gail Tolley, Chair of the ADCS Educational Achievement Policy Committee, said: “The pandemic and partial closure of schools has clearly had an impact on the number of families electing to home educate their children once schools fully re-opened. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that these children are safe and receiving a good education, yet with the significant increase in the number of EHE children and young people since September, our capacity to maintain contact with all of them is severely stretched.

“Many parents or carers have felt the need to remove their child from school due to health concerns over the pandemic and we want to be able to support these families to make sure they are making an informed decision and are equipped to offer a good and broad education to their child/ren. However, without a statutory register it is impossible to know of every child or young person who is being electively home educated. Schools play an important role in safeguarding as they provide a direct line of sight to the child. If a child is taken out of school, it is vital we know that they are in a safe environment and that their needs are being met.

“We know that the number of children being electively home educated continues to increase each year, and while parental concerns around the pandemic have had a significant impact this year, this should not distract from the worrying trend we continue to see of a year-on-year increase in the size of the EHE cohort. We still await the outcome of the Department for Education’s consultation that proposed new duties on local authorities including a national register of all EHE children and young people. If implemented, this must be fully funded so that we have the means to provide the support these children and young people deserve.”